Paeshall d



(No Model.)

P. D. NI00LS& 117W. WEBB. BOLT THREADING MAGHIN'E.

No. 272,079. Patented Feb. 13;188`3.

` UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PARSHALL D. NIACOLS, OF SEWIGKLEY, AND THEODORE NV. VEBB, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNQRS TO SAID NIGOLS.

BOLT-TH READING MACHINE'l SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 272,079, dated February 13, 1883.

Application filed July 8, i882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, PARsHALL D. NicoLs,

a citizen ot' the United States, residing at Sewickley borough, and THEoDoRE W. WEBB, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Pittsburg, both in the county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement iu Bolt-Threading Machines; and We do hereby declare the following to' he a full,`clear, concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in Which--like letters indicating like parts- Figure l is a top plan view of our improved bolt-threading machine. Fig. 2 shows a side elevation ofthe same. Figs. 3 and 4 are transverse `sectional views taken respectively in the planes of the lines :v w and y y, Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a removable bearing or adjustable tail-block used in the are formed, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, A represents a cylinderof soft steel or iron, having on its convex surface a gang, series, or succession of circumferential and parallel ribs, a, formed by cutting a similar series ot' grooves, a', in the face ofthe cylinder. These `ribs and grooves have depth, size, form, and intervals of succession corresponding to the screw-thread desired, except that they are separate and parallel, instead of continuous and spiral, as in a screw-thread.V

The surfaces or peripheries of these ribs are smooth and unbroken, and in operation are designed to melt or fuse the metal of the bolt, by an action akin to friction under high velocity, as distinguished from cut-ting proper or milling, as with a die or with a cutting or millingtool. Soft metal is therefore employed in making the cylinder A, which is not tempered or hardened. The number of ribs a, on this cylinder is equal to or may be iu excess of the Whole number of threads desired on the bolt or Aarticle to be threaded, so that the desired part or length of such article may be threaded by giving it one revolution while in working contact with the saw or cylinder.

The cylinder is secured on the arbor B by nut b, and this arbor is journaled by bearings 1)"11 on a movable or sliding plate, B. Rotary motion of high velocity may be given to the arbor and cylinder by belt-pulley b2 and suitable connections` with adriving-power; or other suitable means may be employed for this purpose.

The plate B is seated and supported on the face of block C, which is raised at one end of the bedU, and a dovetail tongue-and-groove connection, c, bet-Ween the plate and block ing movement of the plate, with its :arbor and cylinder, in a direction transverse to the line of the arbor and ot' the machine. This movement is designed for carrying the saw or cylinder A into Working engagement with the bolt E, and withdrawing it therefrom when the desired Work is done. Such movement may be given by any suitable mechanism, actuated either automatically or by hand, as may be preferred. The mechanism lshown consists of a lever, 1),-pivoted to the block C by an adinstable plate, d, carrying on its outer end a boss or post, el', and pivot-bolt cl2. A rod, c', connects the end of this lever with a lu'g, c2, raised on the plate B. The rod also passes through a lug, c3, raised on or secured to the edge of block C, and a spring, c4, seated between the'se lugs, moves the plate B' in one direction-that is, to carry the cylinder A away from the bolt; Movement in the other direction is given by pressing upon the lever D, and the cylinder may be held in the desired working position against the bolt by a spring-catch, F, (see Fig. 3,) which is extended forward from a post, F.

The bolt E is held in position with its end to be threaded acrossthe grooved or ribbed face of cylinder A by means of a chuck, I, which may be of any suitable or well-known construction. The one shown consists of four clamping-jaws, t', tapered or inclined on their outer edges. They are seated against a threaded head, f, and are expanded by springs i2. A cap, i3, having a tapering or conical end, 4, is screwed onto the threaded head i. By screwing up this cap the jaws will be pressed upon the bolt. By unscrewing it the bolt will be released. The head t is formed on the end of a tubular shaft, N, through which the bolt is passed endwise to and from the position in which it is threaded. This shaft N carries a gear, n, which meshes with a similar gear, a', which latter is secured in any convenient way upon a rotary and endwise-moving shaft, It, one end of which is journaled in a long bearing in the block C, as at r, and the other in a.

pipe-boX,r/, formed in the removable block or tail-piece R. Rotary motion is given to the shaft R by crank R3 or other suitable means, and this motion will be communicated, through the gear-wheels, shaft N, and chuck I, to the bolt.

In order to give the bolt endwise motion i along with its rotary motion, the shaft N is mounted on uprights or bearing-blocks S S, which extend upward from a sliding bed or plate, S', which is connected to base-plate C by a dovetail tongue and groove, s. The shaft It is passed through suitable holes, s', in these uprights, and both the wheelsn n are secured on their respective shafts between them. On the upper shaft, N, collars u2 cause the shaft, chuck, and gear to move with the uprights S S. On the lower shaft the fixed wheel a', which bears against both uprights, causes the uprights, shaft, and wheel to move together as the former are moved on the slide s. Sliding motion is given tothesedevices byaspring, S2, on one side, which surrounds shaft It, and bears against the block C at one end and the adjacent upright S at the other end; also by a cam or incline, r2, raised around the box r in tail-block It'.

A collar, R2, is fixed on the shaft It in any convenient way, and a stud, r3, projects from the side face of this collar in proper position for its end to take bearing upon the cam r2,

and thereby cause the uprights S S to move against the spring S2 as the shaft It is rotated. When the studn3 reaches the drop on the cam the spring SZ will throw the uprights S S in the opposite direction, thus moving the bolt endwise at each revolution a distance equal to the lift ofthe cam. The lift or pitch of this cam determines the pitch of the thread made on the bolt, which is secured bythe combined r0- tary and endwise movement of the bolt While acted upon by the ribbed cylinder.

By using cams or inclines r2 of different pitch any desired pitch of screw-thread may be made on the bolt. In order to facilitate such change, the tail-block R is made removable, being connected to bed-plate U by dovetail tongue r4, and secured in posit-ion by bolt T5, passed through slot r6.

As shown in the drawings, the gears ait' are equal in size, and the cam r2 corresponds in length to one revolution of the shaft R. Consequently the drop of stud r3 off the cam will take place at the completion of one rotation of the bolt. f

In order to move the grooved cylinder A back automatically out of engagement with the bolt at the momentthe stud drops od the cam, a wiper, u, is formed on the collar R2, and a stud or arm, u', is extended down from the strap of spring-catch F in proper position to be pressed and raised by the wiper at each revolution, thereby disengagiug the `lever D and permitting the spring c4 to move the cylinder A awa-y from the bolt.

In case it is desired to give the bolt more than one complete rotation while the thread is being formed, it may be done by making the gear-wheel a smaller than n. 1n this way the ribs a will be carried over the points where they begin to act on the bolt7 thereby securing a clean and perfect thread. In this case the pitch of the thread obtained will not correspond exactly to that of cam r2; but the variation will be a constant and determinable one, and therefore will not prevent securing the desired pitch of thread on'the bolt by the use of a properly-inclined cam. By reversing the direction of motion of the bolt, either right or left hand threads may be formed thereon at pleasure.

1f desired, the tubular passage in shaft N IOO may be large enough to receive the head of the bolt, wherebyshort bolts may be threaded; or a bolt-gripping mechanism or chuck may be employed, whichshall receive and discharge the bolt sidewise or vertically, and thereby provide for holding and threading short bolts. Such holding-chucks are in common use in screw-cutting and other machinery, and need IOS IIO

a pivot or sliding connection between the upt rights S S and plate S; also, instead of moving the bolt endwise to secure a spiral direction of cut bythe ribs a, the cylinder and its arbor may receive the requisite endwise motion in connection with a rotary motion of the bolt, whereby as the boltis turned or revolvedonce each rib a will be advanced along the bolt the distance ot' one thread, so that each rib will complete its cutting or melting action 972,079V l s at the point Where the preceding one began, ripheries, in combination with a bolt-holder andthe required `length on thebolt will be threaded, as before described, by one rotation ofthe bolt While in Working engagement with the ribbed cylinder or itsl equiif'alent pack of disks.

These and other like modiiications we consider as coming Within our invention.

The operation ot' cutting iron or steel with smooth disks of soft metal (known as saws) rotated at high speed is well known in the art of metal-working. By adapting this method ot' cutting to the formation of screw-threads, as above described, we secure Vvery important advantages-i'or example, great rapidity in work, simplicity and cheapness in machinery, smallexpense for repairs, since the soft metal ribs a. can be kept in proper shape at triing expense, and they are not liable 4to injury or breakage in use. rlhis is largely due to the low degree oi' heat generated in making the shallow out required. l By ordinary methods otl threading bolts, as heretofore practiced, the bolt or cutting-tool must be run the entire length of the threaded part by as many revolutions as there are threads in the Whole distance. ln our improvement but one rotation ot' the bolt is required, and this can be given so quickly as to secure great rapidity in Work and corresponding cheapness in manufacture; also, the thread secured ,in this Way is not raised and weakened, as in die-cutting and in other like methods of cheap thread-cutting; and thus even in cheap bolts We secure substantially the same qualities of thread that are a rotary bolt-holder for holding the end of a boltacross and against the ribs or disks, substantiallyas and for the purposes set forth.

2. The ribbed cylinder A or equivalent series of soft-metal disks having smooth pefor holding the end of a bolt across and against the ribs or disks, and mechanism, substan- 'tially as described, for giving to the bolltholder rotary and endwise motion.

3. A rotary bolt-holder, in combination with a series of smooth metall disks or equivalent ribbed cylinder, A, arbor B, and mechanism, substantially as described, i'or rotating,r the cyl inder or disks and moving them transversely to and from the side of the bolt.

4.' rlhe combination of soft-metal ribbed cylinder A, arbor B, sliding arbor-support B', bolt-holder I, and mechanism, substantially as described, for giving to the bolt'holder simultaneously rotary and cndwise motion.`

5. The combination of a soft-metal ribbed cylinder, A, a bolt-holder, I, tubular shaft N, driving-shaft R, gears n n', uprights S S, and mechanism, substantially as described, for moving such uprights back and forth in the line of the bolt-holder. p 6. The ribbed soft-metal cylinder A, in combination with bolt-holder Qt, tubular shaft N,

gears n n', driving-shaft R, uprights S S, spring S2, ,cam r2, and stud r3, substantially as set fort-h.

7. Arotaryand endwise moving bolt-holder, in combination with ribbed soft-.metal cylinder A, arbor B, sliding support B,lever D, spring c4, and a catch to hold the lever as against the action of the spring, substantially V as set forth.

8. rlhe combination ot' bolt-holder I, tubular shaft N, driving-shaft R, sliding uprightsS S, gears n n', collar R2, stud r3, and removable `tail-block R', having cam or incline r2 thereon,

substantially as set forth.

In testimony 'whereof We have hereunto set 

